Menu

Why We’re Voting for Obama

Barack Obama is now the Democratic nominee and, wow, is that man inspiring. Every time he opens his mouth out come rainbows of hope and inspiration.

The more I talk with people my age about this election, the more I realize that, for most, issues are actually secondary. If we’re honest, most of us are supporting the candidate that best embodies our idealized version of ourselves. It’s why Bob Dole lost to Clinton, and why Nixon lost to Kennedy. And why McCain will probably lose to Obama.

A quick glance at McCain’s website makes it clear that he’s not the candidate for the cool. He’s rockin’ a seriffed font, he has a weird starry background, and that photo is not flattering.

Obama, on the other hand, is on Twitter.

No one–well, no one in their 20s–wants to think of him/herself as an aging, military leader. We want to think of ourselves as hopeful, multicultural, photogenic, and possessing superior taste in graphic design. Obama embodies the America that Gen X/Yers want to be.

McCain suffers in comparison. The strong, protective father figure shtick is 60 years too late. That business is played, yo! Now, should McCain somehow reinvent himself before November as an iBook-toting, fixed-gear bike riding, Big Liebowski dude looking person, I bet everyone in their 20s and 30s would vote for him.